Rules
by Asaka Kiseragi
Summary: Love was a completely different set of rules to the ones he lived by...SERIOUS KuroFai, because I got suckered into it.


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…_So, today, I go online and bam. Look, I have some reviews for _'Denial'_. Yay! I say to myself, read them, and feel pleased that it got good reviews. (…And for those of you who were wondering…I didn't go back to school today. My parents practically shoved me back _into_ bed as I was coughing my lungs up. Nice.)_

_However, two of the reviews asked for a more serious (but I'm not necessarily making it longer…) look at Kurogane/Fai (…and shorter Authors Notes, but I can only do so much people!) and one of them gave me an 'incentive' to write one. Now, I don't particularly care if I don't have ovaries once kz3e gets hold of me…(I don't want kids) but I like to keep readers happy. _

_So, here's a _serious_ KuroFai ficlet for you all. And my brain told me to have it involve rules, and a vague reference to stars. So there you go._

…_And, because they gave me a kick up the proverbial backside, I'll dedicate this to kz3e and Lady Athena. Thanks, I think._

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_**Disclaimer:** I have nothing to say to you if you think I own Tsubasa._

_WARNINGS for being rushed. Dammit._

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Kurogane had lived by a set of rules his entire life. Rules that involved entirely around training his body and mind to focus on strength and victory. He wasn't supposed to lose, he wasn't supposed to be weak, and he was supposed to devote his entire life and strength to protecting his charge: Tomoyo-hime.

Sadly, a few things didn't go according to plan. He'd never expected to be forced off to see a mysterious (and rather creepy) woman with a god complex, nor did he expect to be sent on a long and vast journey in which _he_ wasn't pulling the strings, to find his way home.

However, after a while, he began to see benefits to this ridiculously over the top excuse for a road trip. Tomoyo-hime had told him to find true strength, and after some serious bitching, whining and – not that he'd _ever_ admit it – sulking he'd begun to see what she was talking about. He hadn't wanted to change his simple view of power being the only incentive in life, but due to that godforsaken curse his princess had put on him, he found himself having to think of _other_ ways to win his battles.

He was finding mental, as well as physical, strength in the strange challenges that he faced on this journey. And he was learning about different types of strength; such as a certain double-edged sword the kid possessed – the weakness and strength that came from his love for Sakura-hime. When the kid was fighting for the princess, he could either have more mental strength the Kurogane himself could ever achieve, or a physical and mental weakness so great it could blind him from danger and get him killed.

Although Kurogane both admired, and admonished, this form of strength he'd never in million years imagined finding himself in a similar predicament.

Yet, he'd soon discovered that love held a completely different set of rules to the ones he lived by. They were rules that weren't set in stone. They weren't written down, nor could they be memorised, and worst of all, they were controlled by your heart, not your mind.

He'd been…well…shocked and slightly _horrified_ when he'd reached the conclusion that he'd fallen in love with Fai. It seemed an absolutely ridiculous notion at the time, and he'd ignored it point blank. Surprisingly enough it was Sakura-hime who'd talked him out of his state of denial. For someone lacking in their own memories and feelings, she seemed to be rather astute at picking up on his (much like another princess he knew) and had taken the opportunity to ask him – when Fai and the kid had gone out scouting for the princess' feather – if anything was wrong. Finally, after much persuasion, he'd grudgingly admitted that part of him said he was in love with Fai, and the other part told him he was being stupid. And Sakura had told him something that reflected knowledge under her naivety that surpassed her years, and her lack of memories: love wasn't something you could justify in your mind; you had to justify it with your heart.

In exchange for her prying, Kurogane had bluntly asked her if she thought the same things about Syaoran, and couldn't help but smirk when she turned a strange shade of pink and quickly excused herself.

But, all of these things explained the reason he was now lying on the ground outside in the cool evening, staring absentmindedly up at the stars with the mage's head resting lightly on his stomach.

"…Hey, Kuro-chi…d'ya think any of those stars up there are our worlds?"

"Hmm?"

Fai raised his head slightly to look at the crimson-eyed male,

"Well, stars are other planets, right? So, technically, that must mean that quite a few of those stars are inhabited worlds, just like ours, and this one," he explained, before letting his head flop back onto Kurogane's stomach.

Kurogane sniffed,

"How would you be able to tell?" he asked.

"You wouldn't."

"THEN WHAT'S THE POINT OF ASKING _ME_ THAT THEN?"

It only served to aggravate him more when all he got in response was a tinkling laugh, as Fai reached out and grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together with a contented sigh.

Neither of them spoke for a little while, and the silence from Fai was a rather nice change from his usual constant babbling. Or maybe Fai felt that he didn't have to keep talking in order to fill silences when he was with Kurogane.

"…When…_if_…we reach your world, you're planning on staying there, right?" Fai suddenly asked.

"Of course I am. I'm not travelling over all these worlds with that damn annoying pork bun in tow just so I can leave my home as soon as we find it!" Kurogane replied sharply, causing Fai to 'hmm' slightly under his breath.

There was another pause, before,

"And you're staying with me."

Fai blinked,

"I am?"

"Yes."

Part of love _was_, after all, doing what you thought was best for your special person.

Fai laughed slightly,

"Determined, aren't we?"

"…Damn right."

"…Well…we'll see…" Fai shook his head slightly.

"'We'll see'? You're staying in Nihon, even if I have to knock you out and lock you in a closet until you come to your senses."

"…Hm…interesting idea Kuro-myuu."

"… … …Oh shut up."

With Fai's amused laugh dancing vaguely at the back of his thoughts, Kurogane came to a final conclusion:

Love was certainly a drastically different set of rules to the ones he'd been living by all his life…and…he wasn't sure if its double-edged sword was something he'd ever planned on wielding…but…he supposed he was willing to put up with it anyway.

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_…Well. This turned out a little better than I expected O.O Considering it was such a rush job and all…I still don't like some aspects of it…but…whatever. As long as you guys enjoyed it._

_Okay, so a little bit of humour worked it's way in there, but it wasn't the main genre, and it _was_ more serious…or at least _I_ think it was…_

_Oh! And I'm vaguely planning a chapterised story for this pairing (and SyaoranXSakura) at some point…but…uh…don't quote me on that for a while. I'm terrible at updating chapterised stories. But, if I do get it up…it won't be what you're expecting. I can guarantee _that

_--Asaka_


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